Some of my concealed carry students from the weekend asked me to get them a copy of Jeff Coopers Combat Mindset Color Code of awareness. So I decided to publish it on my website for all my concealed carry students to use and review.

The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation, according to Col. Jeff Cooper, is neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in his book, Principles of Personal Defense.

White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be “Oh my God! This can’t be happening to me.” Texting while walking or Talking on the cell phone are good examples of this

Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that “today could be the day I may have to defend myself”. You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that “I may have to shoot today”. You don’t have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don’t know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to “Watch your six.” (In aviation 12 o’clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft’s nose. Six o’clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are “taking in” surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360-degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, “I might have to shoot.” When you leave your office or exiting your car are good examples of this.

Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to “I may have to shoot that person today”, focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: “If that person does “X”, I will need to stop them”. Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

Red: Condition Red is a fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. “If ‘X’ happens I will shoot that person”.

Concealed Carry Mindset

In Concealed Carry mode you can see how these awareness color codes come into play. It is very important to be aware of your surroundings when you are in concealed carry mode, which for most of us is all the time.

Be alert in concealed carry mode

Stay alert watch around you and stay safe when you are in Concealed Carry mode. Remember you have to watch everyone and they only have to watch you. Concealed Carry Class is available to anyone wishing to gain some knowledge about concealed carry in Colorado.

Many people walk around in level white-singularly focused on the task at hand or even texting or talking on a cell phone. You know these people you see them every time you go somewhere. This can be one of the worst levels- you are not really paying attention to your surroundings.

Yellow,on the other hand, is you are aware of your surroundings, walking to your car or walking up to your house you are paying attention to who is around and what may be happening nearby. This mode will put you into a better position to react if your threat level changes to orange or even red.

Orange is you perceive things that may add up to a confrontation or attack. Someone is approaching you maybe at a high rate of speed while reaching into their coat pockets. Maybe you are standing in line a the local drug store and you can see something is about to happen.

Red is no time think, react immediately depending on the threat you may have to draw your gun and seek cover. Training is the key to all these situations. Survival is the mode you want to be in. Maybe all you have to do is walk the other direction. Most times you will have options. Remember your only obligation is to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Avoiding a bad situation may be your best solution. Thinking about these things in advance gives you an edge on your assailant. Remember if you choose concealment or cover these can degrade over time you need to move to a safer area as soon as possible.